


Frame of Mind

by Rayfax



Category: Original Work
Genre: Adventure, Adventure & Romance, Anthropomorphic, F/M, Original Character(s), Original Fiction, Romance, Talking Animals
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-05-03
Updated: 2020-05-03
Packaged: 2021-03-01 19:48:23
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 7
Words: 5,958
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23982595
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Rayfax/pseuds/Rayfax
Summary: A young rabbit displaced by an arson attack finds himself in the company of old and new friends as he hunts down the culprit. In this journey of self discovery and growing up, Vayu must find his inner resolve to protect his friends - or die trying.
Kudos: 1





	1. The Arson

A young, anthropomorphic red rabbit named Vayu plays with other children around a shallow creek. He is approximately seven years old, with violet eyes bright and full of life. Of other children his age, one is his closest friend Alexia. She is an albino rabbit with a purple bow tied around her right ear.  
The sun begins to set. With the setting sun, Vayu must go home. He waves goodbye to his friends and trots away. Vayu makes his way through a market with various vendors selling fruit, vegetables, fish, meats, jewelry, clothing, and other goods. It’s a small market and all the inhabitants are rabbits as well. A few vendors wave and greet the young boy as he passes by. He stops at a few stalls briefly, grabbing ingredients for a meal. After finishing his shopping, Vayu heads down a dirt path leading about a mile away from the market. His house is at the end of this path. It’s a small, cozy, cottage-like house.  
He enters the house, holding a brown paper bag containing the ingredients he bought. The inside is a single floor, decorated with hand-made wood tables and chairs, a few family photos, two large baskets of knitting and sewing materials next to one of the tables, and a large diamond rug in the middle of the room. A bulky telephone hangs on the right wall along with a cabinet of fine china. To the left is an open kitchen area where Vayu’s mother stands over a steaming pot sitting on top of a gas range, facing away from him. A bar counter is covered in stray vegetable scraps, fat cuts from meat, and various spices and seasonings. Vayu compliments the smell and places his bag on the counter. His mother turns around to face him and begins removing the ingredients from the bag.  
Vayu’s mother is about three feet taller than Vayu and has brown fur and purple eyes. Here, she’s wearing a simple pink apron with two front pockets. She smiles at her son and thanks him for the compliment and for picking up the spare ingredients from the market. Vayu’s father then approaches the two from behind his son. He is a red rabbit as well, sharing his eye color with Vayu and Vayu’s mother. His father expresses how excited he is for the meal.  
Away from Vayu’s house, a short distance away from the village, a purple bat flaps her wings as she menacingly overlooks the nighttime activities of the inhabitants. She wears a red bandana around her neck and has deep amber-colored eyes. Her name is Cassie, and she’s nine years old. She is holding a flamethrower tightly in her hands. After another moment of gazing across the small, tight-knit village, she swoops down and lands in the same market that Vayu had come from. Vendors and shoppers are shocked by her entrance and stare, some more concerned about the weapon she holds than others. Cassie takes some time to look around the area. None of the residents seem threatening. One person in the crowd approaches her and asks her if she's lost. Cassie’s demeanor completely changes from cautious to hostile and sociopathic. She lets out a scream before she unleashes the fire from her weapon on the bystanders and environment around her.  
Back at Vayu’s house, the family is happily enjoying a meal in their living area until Alexia throws open the front door. Vayu and his family jump up from their seats and are visibly concerned when they see soot caked in the young girl’s white fur. She breathily informs the family of the arson attack and warns them to run away. The family and Alexia leave the house and are greeted by the sight of their village up in flames and crumbling. Vayu’s father dashes down to the flaming market without a word to his wife and son. Vayu notices Cassie hovering above his house. She glares down at the young boy before lighting his house ablaze. After she feels she has sufficiently damaged the village, she leaves the scene of her crime.  
Panicked, Vayu searches for his mother who has disappeared in the commotion. His home starts to crumble under the burnt wood. He continues to frantically search and call for his mother but is frightened when he hears a booming crash come from what are now the remains of his house. Vayu finally finds his mother crushed under the burning rubble, her outstretched arm clenching a long blue scarf. The young boy sprints and kneels in front of her. Tears well in his eyes as he begs for his mother’s safety. She coughs as she shakily lifts her arm to her son, presenting the scarf to him.  
"Vayu, this was supposed.. to be a birthday gift, but I suppose you're getting it early. Please.. always remember to love and cherish your friends. They're all you've got."  
Vayu hesitantly grabs the scarf.  
“Mom, no! You’ll be okay. I can’t.. I can’t rely on only my friends. I need you and dad!”  
His mother smiles and shakes her head.  
“You’re so young, so innocent.. whatever happens, know that I’m watching over you.”  
Vayu watches in horror as his mother passes. Devastated, he clenches the scarf close to his chest and collapses to the ground, sobbing loudly and begging for the life of his mother.


	2. A New Day

Daybreak, seven years later

A digital alarm clock is perched on a small end table. The alarm blares and a furry red fist slams down on the clock to turn it off. An older Vayu stands from his creaky bed and sighs. He is fourteen now, a few feet taller and decently built. Frazzled bangs hang over his forehead and his eyes have lost their life. His makeshift home is clearly not well made, as some of the wood planks that make up the wall are charred and the walls themselves have gaps and holes. There is little furniture, and what he has is mismatched. The few kitchen appliances in the room are bare basics: a tiny fridge to the left, a small table in the middle of the room with a single chair, and a small gas stove next to the fridge. The only light in the room is filtered in from a single soot-coated and cracked window. Vayu, wearing the slightly faded light blue scarf left to him by his mother, wanders outside. 

“Hello again, wasteland.”

He treks through what used to be his village, which has now become overgrown with vines and weeds. Everything is quiet save for a few chirping birds and the wind in the trees.  
He makes his way to his old house. Some of the wood is salvageable, and he knows he needs to repair the holes in the walls of the house he has built for himself in case of rain. He begins digging through the leftover remains of the house. Vayu has already picked through the best pieces, so not much is left.   
As he is digging through the rubble, it shifts just so that a few heavy planks fall on Vayu’s arm.

“Yeeeeoooowwww! Damn- stupid- freaking- house!”

He wrestles his arm free and brushes off the ash.

Finally, he finds a few planks and hoists them up on his right shoulder before heading back through the destroyed market and returning home. When he gets back, he hears an unknown voice inside. He carefully and quietly places his cargo on the ground. Flicking his index finger against his thumb, he creates a small flame that floats above his finger. He holds his finger upright and sneaks into his home.  
Inside, Vayu finds an otter wearing an unbuttoned lab coat. The strange otter can be heard mumbling about the people that used to live in Vayu’s village, wondering where they all went. Vayu rolls his eyes and contorts his face into an expression of disgust.

“Aw, man.. more press? I thought I ran them all off..."

The otter is rummaging through Vayu’s fridge. The rabbit snuck close to the stranger and loudly demands information from him. 

“Who are you?! What’s your name and why are you here?”

Startled, the otter jerks around and reveals his emerald eyes protected by orange goggles. He excitedly begins writing notes on a small notepad and explains that he isn’t going to harm the rabbit. He asks for Vayu’s name and age, how long he’s been here, and if he knows anything about what happened to the secluded rabbit village. Vayu, noting that while annoying, the intruder isn’t a threat, puts out the flame on his finger and answers his questions until the inquiry about the village. He freezes. 

“..No. I’m not telling you what happened here.”

His mother’s dying smile is burned into his memory. The smell of burning wood and the third-person view of him collapsed on the ground next to his mother overtake his thoughts.  
Vayu is snapped out of his daydream by the stranger grabbing his arm and pleading with him.

“Oh please, tell the story! I must know! You see, I’ve been sent by the capital to investigate the dozens of arson attacks that have occurred over the past few years!”

Frustrated, Vayu declines to answer again. He returns outside to reclaim the wood and begins working on patching up a few of the holes on the house. The otter follows him, quietly observing.  
After a few minutes of hammering away at the wood, Vayu’s work slows until he stops and turns to face his new companion. He recalls the otter saying there have been dozens of arson attacks and is curious as to if they have all been caused by the same girl that attacked his own village.

“What all do you know?”

“There was an outbreak of war in the west as my race claimed land. We’ve been led to believe the arsonist is the sole survivor of a race that perished due to the war. I wish I could tell you more, but that’s all I know.”

Unsatisfied, Vayu returns to his work and tells the tale of how his village was destroyed. The otter takes a seat on the grass with his notepad. By nightfall, Vayu has finished the story as well as his work. He invites the otter inside for a meal. He prepares a simple but hardy stew, the same that his own mother made on the night of the attack. Over dinner, the two learn more about each other.  
The otter, named Spanner, works for the government as an engineer and researcher; the goggles he wears are a symbol of his involvement with his research team. The color is significant to what he researches: the arson attacks that have ravaged the country.

After their dinner is finished, Vayu ushers Spanner outside. Before wishing him a good night, the rabbit is interrupted by Spanner asking him to come to the capital city. The otter explains that they usually only allow licensed merchants into the city if they aren’t otters, but since Vayu is with him, he’ll still be let in. At first, Vayu refuses. He’s set on living the rest of his life alone in the remains of his lost home. After Spanner pleads and begs repeatedly over the next hour, the rabbit still refuses. 

“I’m not going, and that’s final!”

Spanner sighs and smirks.

“…do you know a girl named Alexia?”

Suddenly, Vayu tackles Spanner to the ground and forcefully snatches the collar on his lab coat.

“You lay one finger on Alexia…”

Vayu leans in close to Spanner’s face, close enough that the otter can feel Vayu’s breath.

“…and I’ll break you like a toothpick.”

Spanner panics a bit; he didn’t know this boy could be so hostile.

“No harm will come of her, I promise! I merely meant we can reunite her with you, under the condition that you come with me. Do we maybe have a deal? …please? I don’t want my coat to get ripped.”  
Vayu loosens his grip on Spanner’s coat and responds with a simple nod. They conclude together that they will leave in the morning. Vayu allows Spanner to stand again, says goodnight, and promptly goes to sleep after carefully hanging his scarf on a hook nailed to the wall next to his bed.

The two head out in the morning on foot and reach the city by the next day.


	3. The City

Vayu and Spanner arrive in the capital city. It isn’t terribly advanced, but the big city is still not what Vayu is used to. Long brick paths form the streets instead of the dirt paths familiar to the rabbit. Multiple brick-and-mortar shops line the brick paths, selling everything from food to weapons to designer clothing.

Vayu accrues many strange looks from the city crowd, and he becomes visibly frustrated once he hears a child point out how strange he is in a city of otters. Spanner pats the rabbit’s shoulder to comfort him. The duo’s walk to the inner capital building is uneventful until a military officer approaches them. She questions Spanner about his guest. When the otter replies with information about Vayu, she frantically ushers them into a nearby research building.

Once inside, the scenery changes to long, dimly lit corridors and complex sliding doors, topped off with large windows allowing an audience to observe lab work for various rooms. One door in particular catches Vayu’s eye; it is clearly marked with ‘DO NOT ENTER’ signs. A small window peeking into the room is covered by a curtain on the inside. Vayu watches Spanner and the officer march away, conversing with each other and not noticing the rabbit’s reluctance to follow. Vayu stays behind. The other two turn a corner and the red rabbit is left alone next to the condemned room. Instead of a sliding door, the door has a knob. Vayu tries to open the door, with no luck at first. Here he remembers his lock picking skills that he had to learn when his village burned down; some of the houses were mostly intact with locked doors, forcing him to learn the skill. He wanders around the building until finding a secretary desk and asks for a simple paperclip. Returning to the locked door, he unravels the paperclip, creating a wave in the end of the clip. He inserts the paperclip into the door’s lock and presses his ear against the door, listening carefully for the lock’s pins to click into place. After some time, Vayu finally breaks into the room.

The room is pitch black and silent. Vayu feels along the wall for a light switch and finds one low on the wall. Flicking the light on, he finds Alexia strapped to a metal chair by leather restraints. Her head is lowered, and her fur is dirty. The door closes behind him. When the rabbit turns around, he is greeted by a sixteen-year-old purple bat wearing a red bandana. She chuckles before locking the door.

“Oh.. Vayu, was it? You really shouldn’t snoop around…”

The new stranger lunges at Vayu barehanded. Relying on instinct, the rabbit ducks which causes her to crash into Alexia, but the white rabbit makes no noise. Vayu lifts Alexia's head and notices she’s only a stuffed dummy by the look of a crudely-drawn smile where her face would be. The bat brushes herself off and grapples Vayu. She whispers in his ear and tells him that she’s disappointed that he doesn't recognize her. Before the rabbit can respond, she slams Vayu’s head into the closest wall, effectively rendering him unconscious.


	4. Kai

An unfamiliar voice fills Vayu’s mind. A white creature, adorned with golden facial markings, fills the void.

“Vayu, wake up. Your friends need you.”

Vayu’s eyes flutter open briefly to see the purple bat standing over him, pointing a gun to his forehead. Sirens are blaring in the research facility. The door to the room is suddenly broken down. Spanner tackles her to the ground. In the commotion of the fighting, Vayu drifts back into unconsciousness.

The creature from his previous dream appears to him again. This time, he feels as if he’s woken up in a cloudy dreamland; fountains and shining light fill the space.

“You have so much to learn. You can’t die on us yet.”

A while later, Vayu wakes up lying down on a hospital bed. The room he’s in is reminiscent of a small, modern hospital room. The first thing he notices is that there are IVs in his right arm. He begins to sit up until Spanner rushes over to him and forces him to lay back down, explaining that the rabbit has a concussion and that the military’s medical team is running tests to make sure he isn’t otherwise injured. He describes that his scuffle with Cassie allowed him to learn a lot about her, and that he came out unharmed. Cassie wore green goggles like Spanner’s orange pair, which means she was active in the capital city’s military at some point. Vayu nods and the otter sits down next to him. Spanner clears his throat.

“Vayu.. what all do you know about your family?”

“..huh? Well, my mom stayed at home.. dad wasn’t around much. The last time I saw him was when he ran into the village market on the night of the attack. Otherwise, nothing.”

Spanner nods, writing a few notes down on his trusty notepad. He tells Vayu that the medical team ran a genetic background on him due to his oddly colored fur; most rabbits are white, brown, black, or a mixture, while Vayu is red.

“Vayu, your father helped us in the war. He was our main source of firepower. I did some digging, and.. turns out he comes from an ancient family that could use pure fire as a weapon. Have you ever been able to make fire without a tool?”

Vayu nods and lists off a few times he’s been able to, but never more than a small flame on the tip of his finger. Spanner continues to take notes. He then says that the military has a contact in a swampy area in the woods surrounding the capital that can help train Vayu to use his ability, then expresses his excitement over using Vayu as a weapon against Cassie to stop the arson attacks. Vayu is thrown off by the idea of only being valuable as a weapon.

“…a weapon? You want to use me as a weapon?”

“Sure! We could finally end this absurd war with Cassie! We could train you to perfection. Or we could build a machine that can do what you can do, that way we won’t have to worry about a live being’s error! We-“

Vayu cuts Spanner off.

“Absolutely not. You can’t just take away someone’s morality like that. If you think you can just replace someone that easily, you’re insane and heartless! Nobody can be replaced; nobody! I will not be some weapon for your murderous military!”

Vayu rips the IVs out of his arm and storms out of the lab. Spanner attempts to follow, but reluctantly decides to stay behind. As Vayu leaves, the rabbit begins thinking about his potential destiny as a hero. Frankly, the idea scares him. He doesn’t feel nearly responsible or powerful enough to protect himself, much less an entire country against a deadly arsonist. Vayu continues to flee from the city. He begins to head back to his home village until he hears his name being called from within the forest surrounding the path he’s walking on. Against his instincts, the rabbit ventures off the path, following the voice calling for him.

The source of the voice turns out to be an overgrown cabin that rests in a clearing deep in the woods. Vayu cautiously approaches the house, listening carefully for any sign of life. He knocks on the door and waits. After a few minutes of waiting, he decides that the house is abandoned and begins to walk away until the door is thrown open by a familiar friend: Alexia. She hasn’t changed at all other than a couple feet gained on her height. She slowly realizes who is standing in front of her, then tightly hugs her childhood friend and begins to cry. Alexia starts trying to express how thankful she is that Vayu is alive, how happy she is to see him, and how much she missed him, but most of her words are muffled by her crying and her face being buried in Vayu’s fur. Vayu awkwardly returns her embrace, not amused by the affection but nonetheless thankful that his friend is alive and well.

An elderly tortoise slowly meanders up behind Alexia. The woman introduces herself as Kai and invites Vayu inside. She then tasks Alexia with preparing a meal and some refreshments. She reluctantly complies. Vayu begins to question the old woman, but she silences him with a shakily raised hand before speaking.

“Young boy, I’ve heard about what happened to your home from Alexia. Such a terrible, tragic event. My own seaside village was destroyed, and its inhabitants dispersed. I came here to escape detection from researchers and the military in the capitol. I’m sure you’ve encountered them by now.

Alexia came to me many years ago, not long after I moved here. She was malnourished, exhausted, and filthy; I had no choice but to take her in. She’s been a wonderful help around the house. Now, there’s something else I must tell you. Your father, he-“

Kai is cut off by Alexia sprinting back into the main room. She frantically describes that the house is on fire. The three evacuate. Cassie is standing outside to greet the trio. She demands that the elderly woman say no more and aims a weapon at Kai.

Kai sighs and clasps her hands together. After a brief moment of concentration, she pulls her hands apart to reveal a torrential current of water flowing between her palms. She throws the current at Cassie, creating a mighty wave that causes the bat to tuble to the ground. Cassie recklessly fires at the group. She grazes Kai’s leg, which forces the elderly tortoise to collapse. Vayu rushes to her side. The wave subsides and Cassie lands comfortably in front of the collapsed Kai and kneeling Vayu. Alexia is watching from the sidelines, unable to help.

Cassie takes aim again. In a reactionary response, Vayu flicks his middle fingers against his thumbs this time, allowing greater flames to spark and fester in his palms. He warns Cassie to hold her fire. Cassie, amazed at Vayu’s ability, begins trembling. She addresses Vayu:

“You’re.. his son. You’re that murderer’s son! He killed my family and friends with that horrible flame! They say that fire is the source of life.. it only causes death!”

Cassie nearly pulls the trigger until Vayu sends out a sweeping flame across the ground that forces the bat to once again enter flight. Frustrated, she fires at Kai’s still-burning house. A few supports of the roof crumble. She then flees from the scene.

Kai instructs Alexia to keep watch over Vayu. The elderly woman rises to her feet and stumbles inside her home. Minutes pass and the house continues to burn. Finally, Kai is seen through the open front doorway returning to the rabbit duo. However, suddenly the building collapses on top of the old woman. Vayu panics and tears away from Alexia to help his new acquaintance get free from the rubble. As he comes closer, the smoke clears, and he sees that Kai is mostly stuck and crushed under the remains of her home. She weakly informs him of a chest that should be buried in the rubble and hands Vayu an ornately decorated bronze key. Vayu begins to shed tears at the all-too-familiar sight of Kai dying from exhaustion and being crushed by a home she loved so much. He grasps her hands as she tells him that what he will find in the chest will help him on his journey. With Vayu promising to give her a proper burial, Kai passes peacefully.


	5. Disagreements

Vayu remains at Kai’s side through her passing. Alexia falls to her friends’ sides and weeps softly. The forest around them falls quiet.

Vayu holds up the key that Kai gave to him and sighs sadly. If he could fight.. if only he could have helped, maybe she wouldn’t have died.  
He quietly buries Kai near a bed of flowers she seemed to have tended to during her stay here; they were unharmed by the attack. The rabbit says a short prayer and starts digging through the rubble of the collapsed house. Alexia, still upset over her loss, stands and huffs at Vayu.

“Vayu, you’re so heartless! I thought.. I know you’ve lived alone for a long time, but shouldn’t you feel something? Anything? All you can do is say a five-second prayer and start digging up the lady’s house?”

Vayu stops what he’s doing and turns to face his friend.

“Alexia.. I understand you loved her like your own mother, but I’ve buried more people than you can count. Who do you think had to take care of the 437 people that died in the arson?”

He approaches Alexia, a bit more angered.

“Who do you think had to plant hundreds of flowers for defenseless children that were abandoned? Killed? Who do you think lived with the guilt of not being able to do more for seven years?”  
At this point, Vayu is clenching his fists and lowers his voice.

“Was it you?”

Alexia, taken aback, stands her ground against her friend.

“Vayu, you’ve changed. I’ve suffered too, you know."

He scoffs and returns to digging through the rubble of Kai’s house. He eventually comes across the chest that the bronze key belongs to. Vayu backs away from the crumbled house and sits on the ground, careful to keep his scarf from getting dirty.

“That’s it? Just a huffy laugh?”

Vayu furrows his brow and turns to face Alexia, who is now behind him.

“You’re still on about how heartless I am? Get over it.”

Alexia, having had enough of her friend’s attitude, stomps in front of him; this calls Vayu’s attention away from the chest.

“Yeah, I am! Listen mister, you have the right to change. I understand it must’ve been hard. It was hard for me too! No, I didn’t have to bury all those people.. but I was orphaned too! My parents were my world. At least your dad might be out there somewhere; both my parents and my adoptive mom are gone!”

She sits down in front of him and hesitantly places her hand on his cheek.

“…please. You don’t have to be so cruel. Let me bear your burdens with you.”

Vayu’s expression softens to one of slight guilt. He knew she was right; he had been cruel to her. Maybe he should’ve been more conscious of her feelings…

Regardless, he gently grabs her hand and places it on her lap.

“I’m sorry.”

Alexia returned her hand to him, this time to his shoulder.

“It’s alright.”

The two sat in silence for what seemed like eons, processing the argument they’d just had. Alexia paced over to the makeshift grave Vayu had dug for Kai and spent some time mourning over her adoptive mother. Kai had revitalized her and helped her move past the arson; Vayu wasn’t so lucky. He had nobody to help guide him back to the right path to stay mentally healthy. She looked back at her friend, who was still hunched over the unopened box. The sight of him made her realize she wasn’t much better than him. Holding herself on some kind of pedestal was immature of her.

“Oh, Vayu.. we’re both pretty lost, aren’t we?”


	6. The Book

Vayu finally decided to open the chest, albeit slowly and with hesitation. What was he afraid of? Surely it wouldn’t be a trapped chest?

Inside the chest was a hefty and aged book. Alexia shuffled to sit next to Vayu and began skimming the book with him. The book had no title and no words; inside were illustrations that demonstrated powers Vayu’s ancestors developed. As they flipped through the pages, Alexia noticed something fall out of the book. She picked it up and studied it.

“Vayu, you might want to look at this.”

So he did. He grabbed the object and looked it over, realizing it was a polaroid photo of Kai and his parents. His parents were holding a baby, he figured was himself. The three looked happy. He couldn’t help but tear up; he hadn’t seen his family in so long that he had forgotten what they looked like. He held the photo close, and Alexia couldn’t help but gaze at Vayu.

As she caught herself staring, she looked away and a blush crossed her face. What was she thinking, just staring at him? She snapped out of her stupor as Vayu addressed her.

“I need to go back to the capital. We need to find Spa-“

As if on cue, Spanner erupted into the clearing with two guards at his side.

“Finally! Here you are! We were worried sick. We had heard news of an attack just outside the capital and came running; I was sure it was you.

Listen. We think we’ve found your father, Vayu. We’ve located a large refugee camp in the southern mountains that we think your father is leading.”

Vayu and Alexia relay what happened in the forest to Spanner and display the book they recovered from Kai’s box. Spanner tells the two about a swamp deep in the forest that should be a safe place for Vayu to learn the techniques illustrated in his new book, but that they should make way towards the refugee camp before it’s found and destroyed.  
Vayu speaks.

“I don’t think it would be smart to head out on some big adventure with only one of us knowing how to decently fight. I need to train first.”

Alexia nods in agreement. She’s too weak to fight. She looks up at the sky and notices the sun is beginning to set.

“Hey.. guys? Maybe we should just head to the capital for the night. I think it would be dangerous to travel at night..”

The rest of the party glances at the sky, then at each other. Sure enough, the sky is dusted with spectrums of orange and pink, with the early evening stars beginning to shine. Spanner nods in agreement and leads them all back to the capital, reaching the city just as the sunset began to fade into night.


	7. Videos

“Hey, Vayu? Can we talk?”

Alexia had called out to her friend. She was still a bit frazzled from their fight earlier, but she still wanted to be close with him again.

The red rabbit turned to Alexia with a questioning glance but said nothing. He turned back to Spanner and nodded, then held back to see what his albino friend needed.

“Uh.. sure. What’s on your mind? Wait, is this about earlier? Look, I’m just-”

Alexia cut him off.

“No.. well, we can talk about that if you want. Or.. um.. I had something else I wanted to ask you, if that’s okay?”

She mentally facepalmed. She knew she sounded stupid; who says something like that? Vayu, a little put off by her response, hesitated to respond for a moment.  
“Uh. Sure? You can ask me anything, I guess.”

“Okay. Well, I wanted to ask what you’ve been up to. I mean, in the past few years.”

He had to think for a minute. Had he really spent seven years just surviving on his own in his home village? Not venturing out for anyone or anything?

“Hmm… well, not much, honestly. I stayed home, didn’t go anywhere. I learned to survive off the land and what was left behind.”

She didn’t know what she expected, but hearing that Vayu had been on his own for so long answered why he had been so hostile with her earlier. Not only did he resent the arson attack, but he had spent so long without talking to anyone that he must’ve gotten rusty on his social skills.

“Well that explains a lot.. I mean, um, wow! You spent all that time by yourself? Why didn’t you ever leave? Didn’t you ever think that you should go somewhere there was more civilization? That’s what I did. When I found out my parents were dead, I ran away. I had to live off berry bushes and raw mushrooms. Blech! I don’t like mushrooms, but you’ve gotta do what you’ve gotta do, right?”

She fidgets nervously.

“Anyway.. I found Kai, and started going to school in the city. It’s funny; we started going over recent events, and the attack on our village came up. I had to sit out.. I couldn’t take it until I saw you in a couple pictures and videos! They gave me hope that I wasn’t the only one left. To know you survived.. it kept me going.”

Alexia realized she had been talking for a while and apologized, giving the conversation back over to Vayu.

“You don’t like mushrooms? You’re such a picky eater. My mom used to put mushrooms in the stew she’d make. You’re missing out.”

He found himself nearly smiling, but his happiness quickly faded away.

“You saw pictures of me? And videos?”

Vayu cursed under his breath. How could he not have noticed people coming in and out of the village? He did his best to drive away the press whenever he spotted them, but he supposed some must’ve gotten past him. Suddenly, he realized something.

“Wait, what’s a ‘video’?”

His question made Alexia giggle. She knew they grew up in a place with no television or computers, but they were things she’d become so used to that she didn’t think anyone didn’t know what those things were. She began explaining what a video was to him until she realized she could just show him. She held out her cell phone to him.

“Here! Well, this isn’t a video. This is a phone. Like a telephone! Remember those big bulky phones that were hung on walls? Now they’ve made little ones you can carry around with you! I don’t use mine much, but they’re handy to have.”

Vayu was amazed at the pocket-sized telephone. He never thought something like this could be possible; not only one that didn’t need wires, but one small enough to take anywhere. He took Alexia’s phone and began playing with it, eventually finding some videos saved on the device of Alexia and who he assumed were some of her friends from school.

“Moving pictures… with sound?”

Alexia was about to respond when Vayu came across a video of her singing. She quickly snatched her phone away from him and turned away so that he couldn’t see the blush forming on her face.

“Wait, was that you? Let me see, let me see!”

He creeped up close to his friend and, anchoring himself by holding onto her left shoulder, reached out from behind her to try and snatch the device from her hands. He missed his grab a few times before getting frustrated and giving up.

“Fine, fine. Whatever. We should probably head into the city before it gets too late.”

Alexia couldn’t help but feel a twinge of guilt at ruining his fun, but the last thing she wanted was Vayu making fun of her. Nodding in agreement, she led the pair into the city without trouble. The two found refuge in a small hotel, using Spanner’s name to get a free night.


End file.
